Peace, Ergs!

After nearly a decade, South Amboy punks The Ergs! are giving their fans the hard goodbye.

Drummer/vocalist Mikey Erg (Mike Yannich), bassist Joey Erg (Joe Keller) and guitarist Jeffrey Erg (Jeff Schroeck), have been a unit in various other bands since their days together at Old Bridge High School.

“For us, its always been about playing live. The Ergs are definitely a touring band more than a studio band,” Keller said. “Shows are always the best time for us.”

The band is readying its swan song with a final tour that will conclude Nov. 15 at Asbury Lanes.

In an interview last year, Joe offered me a few of the esoteric inspirations that made The Ergs! what it is. So, next time you catch “The Continental” or the main event of “Summerslam ’91” (the one with the cage), don’t forget the story of the storied “near-sighted three.”

“This is collectively the favorite movie of The Ergs. We have each watched it over 50 times by now I’d say. We dubbed a CD of just the movie’s audio to listen to in the van when we’re on tour.

The comedic genius of “Dirty Work’ is such that we will gauge a person’s character based on how well they know the dialogue from this movie. “Dirty Work’ inspired Mike to get a tattoo of Don Rickles’ face on his arm.”

“Our Band Could Be Your Life” — book by Michael Azerrad

Jeff Erg

“This book details the D.I.Y. lifespans of punk and indie rock’s greatest legends (and many of our favorites) including Black Flag, The Minutemen, Husker Du, The Replacements, Dinosaur Jr. and Fugazi, among others.”

“These bands created the modern music underground one hostile environment at a time and demonstrated that this type of music was not simply made by slackers and losers, but by individuals highly dedicated to their art who oftentimes possessed an astounding work ethic in the face of Sisyphean challenges. It’s very inspiring for any band looking to a.) try to make great music and b.) tour by their own means.”

“The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior” DVD

“This is the other DVD that always accompanies The Ergs on tour. Again, humanity sometimes creates very original specimens — sometimes they turn out to be pro-wrestlers. Warrior views seem to point tangentially outside the normal barometer for what is right and wrong. The Ultimate Warrior is perhaps the most insane man to ever take part in professional wrestling.

“Think about that statement for a second. Warrior would often, with arms extended like a high priest, pray to the warrior gods above to give him strength to smite his opponents. He would claim that the only way his adversaries could ever know what it is like in “parts unknown,’ his location of origin, was to suicidally crash an airplane straight into the ground. The Ultimate Warrior is inspiring in that his warped philosophy and perspective ground The Ergs anytime any of us think we’re being “edgy.’ ”

“The Best of Christopher Walken on SNL” DVD

“Every once in a while, humanity produces a fantastic original, and Christopher Walken is very much one of those originals. Sure, his filmography is lengthy and in places distinguished and impressive, but Walken shines brightest when he can bust out his bizarre comedy chops on “Saturday Night Live.’ His polyrhythmic comedic timing, created partly by his indifference to punctuation and his improvised intonation, adds layers to his laughs. This is one of two DVDs we always bring on tour and show our hosts every night.”

“Giant Steps” — John Coltrane

“This is the world-famous jazz album that hepped The Ergs to maybe making music that was more than just punk. While not strictly jazzheads now, The Ergs have been known to spin a hard bop or a free jazz record or two now and then. Also, our van, “Gelder,’ is named after famous Blue Note Records engineer/producer Rudy Van Gelder.”

The band will play two shows at 11/15 at Asbury Lanes, an all-ages matinee at noon and and 18-and-over set at 8 p.m. For more information, visit www.asburylanes.com on the Web.

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About Steve Bove

Sounds, sights and assorted havoc from the frontlines of the rebellion. Steve's years as an APP music/entertainment editor journalist have included talks with such punk ensigns as Mike Ness, John Waters, Gibby Haynes, Jello Biafra and Roger Miret, his loyalty rests with music, noise and chaos bred in the Garden State.

Fastidious answers in return of this issue with firm arguments and explaining the whole thing concerning that.

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About the Author

Alex BieseAn Asbury Park Press staff writer since 2005, Alex Biese is a proud member of the local music community, both as a journalist and a musician. Along with his work for the Press, he has written for outlets including MTV.com and Film Festival today magazine.E-mail Alex

Jean MikleJean Mikle has worked at the Asbury Park Press for more than 20 years, most recently as an investigative reporter on the Projects Team. In her "other life," she’s a fan and proponent of the Asbury Park music scene, both then (Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Southside Johnny Lyon) and now (Wave Gathering, The Stone Pony, The Saint) and all sorts of new music.E-mail Jean